During high school, it is vital that one chooses a guide during this arduous four year span. This is an indispensable part of high school, and perhaps most students never realize who is looking out for them. I consider myself very fortunate in this aspect because I found my fairy godmother in the form of my tenth grade Spanish teacher. She was the person that really molded me to be the person I am today.
She is a person who defines the word teacher; she has a bright smile and an even brighter heart that manages to get the entire class immersed in the culture of Spain. In fact, I surprised myself when I volunteered to participate in a Spanish poetry contest that year! Normally I have a reserved demenaor, but I earnestly believe that she helped me flourish into a more confident, matured young woman. Although I did not win the Spanish poetry contest that year, I shocked myself with how much passion I felt: that very same night I performed that poem, in glittering splendor, in front of multitudes for a school function. Reflecting on that moment, I believe that was when I truly became a confident person, and I owe that all to her. It was my first leap towards the confidence that would allow me to later feel comfortable in my own skin.
When I went on a trip to Spain that year, she was one of many chaperones there. When we were in the middle of Mérida's amphitheater, she had convinced me to perform the poem from the cataclysmic contest in front of an assortment of critics and classmates alike. To think that I was performing in front of numerous tourists! Now that I had been immersed in Spanish culture and took an intense interest in it, there was only one hurdle left to jump. It was something that I was set to do as soon as my junior year commenced: Run for office of National Spanish Honor Society. The one act that I had been dreading for months had finally come. I never would have had the valor to run for it unless she hadn't encouraged me to.
I without a doubt would not be the same person I am now without her. Three years from my sophomore year and here I am--plowing through Freshman year with the confidence that she helped bolster. Such cultural and once in a lifetime experiences that I was blessed with being able to live through, such as in Mérida, are events that would not have happened without her looking over my shoulder. She's the reason I am who I am, and the reason why I want to dual major in Spanish and Italian as well.
Melissa Abbate
Honors Edc
Professor FoglemanDuring high school, it is vital that one chooses a guide during this arduous four year span. This is an indispensable part of high school, and perhaps most students never realize who is looking out for them. I consider myself very fortunate in this aspect because I found my fairy godmother in the form of my tenth grade Spanish teacher. She was the person that really molded me to be the person I am today.
She is a person who defines the word teacher; she has a bright smile and an even brighter heart that manages to get the entire class immersed in the culture of Spain. In fact, I surprised myself when I volunteered to participate in a Spanish poetry contest that year! Normally I have a reserved demenaor, but I earnestly believe that she helped me flourish into a more confident, matured young woman. Although I did not win the Spanish poetry contest that year, I shocked myself with how much passion I felt: that very same night I performed that poem, in glittering splendor, in front of multitudes for a school function. Reflecting on that moment, I believe that was when I truly became a confident person, and I owe that all to her. It was my first leap towards the confidence that would allow me to later feel comfortable in my own skin.
When I went on a trip to Spain that year, she was one of many chaperones there. When we were in the middle of Mérida's amphitheater, she had convinced me to perform the poem from the cataclysmic contest in front of an assortment of critics and classmates alike. To think that I was performing in front of numerous tourists! Now that I had been immersed in Spanish culture and took an intense interest in it, there was only one hurdle left to jump. It was something that I was set to do as soon as my junior year commenced: Run for office of National Spanish Honor Society. The one act that I had been dreading for months had finally come. I never would have had the valor to run for it unless she hadn't encouraged me to.
I without a doubt would not be the same person I am now without her. Three years from my sophomore year and here I am--plowing through Freshman year with the confidence that she helped bolster. Such cultural and once in a lifetime experiences that I was blessed with being able to live through, such as in Mérida, are events that would not have happened without her looking over my shoulder. She's the reason I am who I am, and the reason why I want to dual major in Spanish and Italian as well.